Smoking ring for rolled cigarettes

ABSTRACT

A finger ring has a crown and a hollow barrel fully enclosed by the crown. The barrel has a wider end and a narrower end, tapering uniformly from the wider end to the narrower end in the form of a cone. The barrel is appropriately sized to firmly hold a rolled cigarette when the rolled cigarette is inserted into the wider end of the barrel. The cigarette does not extend beyond the narrower end of the barrel. The narrower end of the barrel is used as a mouthpiece for smoking, thus avoiding mouth contact with the cigarette. The barrel may easily be cleaned with liquid soap or a cotton swab.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is in the field of devices used for smoking, particularly for holding and smoking a rolled cigarette.

2. BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In this application, the term “rolled cigarette” shall refer to a hand-rolled cigarette paper filled with tobacco, cloves, marijuana, or any other smokable plant material, and without a filter. The trend of rolling cigarettes is on the rise as compared to smoking factory-rolled cigarettes with filters. Marijuana is also becoming more widely accepted as it is recognized for medical benefits. Marijuana has been legalized in many states, in some cases even for recreational use.

Though the use and sale of marijuana are prohibited by federal law, there is no lawfulness requirement for patentability. In fact, we take note of US patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,868 (Norman), U.S. Pat. No. 8,490,629 (Shenassa et. al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 8,905,038 (Lotringer), which are devices expressly for smoking marijuana; U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,475 (Schreiber) for a bong; and even U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,507 (Hampson et. al.) for medicinal use of cannabinoids themselves.

Rolled cigarettes are shared more commonly than factory-rolled cigarettes, because they are more expensive and sometimes more powerful, and because many smokers are not good at rolling their own. It is especially common for recreational marijuana smokers to share a single cigarette. This creates the hazard of spreading germs through saliva.

The present invention allows rolled cigarettes to be shared without the transfer of germs or saliva. It is a finger ring with a barrel through the crown. The barrel is tapered, with a wider end and a narrower end. A rolled cigarette is inserted into the wider end of the barrel. The rolled cigarette does not extend past the narrower end of the barrel. The narrower end of the barrel is used as the mouthpiece for smoking. This allows the wearer to smoke the cigarette without making direct mouth contact. The cigarette may then easily be removed and passed to a friend. It is easy to clean the ring between uses.

Another advantage of this ring is that it allows the smoker to hold the cigarette without using his fingers or thumb to clasp it. Smoking can often be an awkward experience, as it occupies the use of one hand for the duration of a cigarette. This makes it difficult to drive, pour drinks, or use a computer while smoking. The present invention makes smoking a “hands free” experience.

3. COMPARISON TO RELATED TECHNOLOGY

Several devices are available for holding a cigarette in a cigarette ring or a cigarette clip attached to a finger ring. These devices serve the purpose of holding a cigarette in a “hands free” manner. Examples are McAniff (U.S. Pat. No. 1,864,747), Brueck (U.S. Pat. No. 1,976,653), Chafetz (U.S. Pat. No. 1,434,590), and others. However, they all require the smoker to make direct mouth contact with the cigarette.

Carson (D153,032) utilizes a relatively long cigarette ring, into which a smoker could theoretically insert a cigarette partway and smoke through the other end of the cigarette ring. Since the cigarette ring has a uniform cross section, however, there is nothing to prevent the cigarette from sliding completely through the cigarette ring. It appears that the Carson ring was intended for smoking a filtered cigarette with direct mouth contact.

Bock (D135,700) includes a long slender groove with open top. A cigarette fits lengthwise into the groove. Again, this would require direct mouth contact; with the upper surface of the cigarette exposed to open air, the smoker would not be able to create suction and draw from the cigarette by puffing on the end of the groove.

Marcus (D161,033) and Sharples (U.S. Pat. No. 1,645,877) do prevent mouth contact by offering a cigarette-holding stem on one end of the ring and a mouthpiece stem on the other end of the ring. The downside is an unsightly and cumbersome design. The present invention is much more streamlined and unitary. The Marcus/Sharples ring also has a lengthy narrow tube that is impossible to properly clean. The barrel of the present invention is easily cleaned with liquid soap or with a cotton swab doused with a cleaning agent.

Gershbein (U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,578) discloses a ring designed to be smoked through a built-in mouthpiece. The Gershbein device is a pipe, as it has a tobacco receiving portion and stores the tobacco within itself; it is not used with cigarettes.

As summarized here, the present invention is the first to provide a unitary cigarette holder and mouthpiece in one finger ring with no extensions. The tapered barrel serves both purposes. It is also very easy to clean. The present invention is adapted for use with rolled, unfiltered cigarettes, making it more compact and stylish than rings designed for smoking filtered factory-rolled cigarettes.

4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the finger ring with crown, and a direct view of the wider end of the cigarette barrel. Hidden lines show the contours of the barrel inside the crown.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the finger ring with crown, and a direct view of the narrower end of the cigarette barrel. Hidden lines show the contours of the barrel inside the crown.

FIG. 3 is a side-plan view of the finger ring and crown. Hidden lines show the contours of the barrel inside the crown.

FIG. 4 is a front-plan view of the finger ring, crown, and barrel, looking through the wider end of the barrel to the narrower end.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view, as indicated in FIG. 4, showing the interior of the barrel.

5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention is a finger ring 11 with solid crown 12. In one preferred embodiment, the ring is fabricated of standard jewelry material such as steel, silver, or gold. In another preferred embodiment, it is made of less expensive materials such as acrylic or wood. The ring may also be fabricated of a combination of two or more of these materials, such as a steel finger ring with a gold crown.

A hollow barrel 13 passes through the crown. The barrel is completely enclosed within the crown.

The barrel is tapered or cone-shaped, with a wider end 14 and a narrower end 15. In the preferred embodiment, the mean cross-sectional diameter 16 of the barrel 13 is equal to the diameter of an average rolled cigarette, about 5-6 mm. This allows a rolled cigarette to be inserted halfway into the barrel, where it will be held firmly. The rolled cigarette will not extend out of the narrower end 15 of the barrel 13.

During use, a rolled cigarette is inserted into the wider end 14 of the barrel 13 and inserted approximately halfway through the barrel until it is held firmly within the barrel. The user holds the narrower end 15 of the barrel 13 to his lips as a mouthpiece, and draws smoke from it. The solid material of the ring prevents the user from making mouth contact with the rolled cigarette. The user may continue to hold the rolled cigarette in the ring, in a hands-free manner, until the cigarette burns out. Alternatively, he may remove the rolled cigarette from the device to set it down in an ashtray or share with a friend.

After use, the user can easily wash the entire surface area of the ring, including the interior of the barrel, with liquid soap or a cotton swab doused in a cleaning agent such as alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or any antibiotic cleaning agent. 

I claim:
 1. A smoking ring for rolled cigarettes, essentially consisting of: a finger ring with a crown; a hollow barrel passing entirely through the crown and completely enclosed by the crown; said hollow barrel having a wider end and a narrower end; said hollow barrel tapering uniformly from the wider end to the narrower end in the form of a cone.
 2. The smoking ring of claim 1, wherein the cross section of the barrel is circular.
 3. The smoking ring of claim 1, wherein the mean cross-sectional diameter of the hollow barrel is within the range of five to six millimeters.
 4. The smoking ring of claim 2, wherein the mean cross-sectional diameter of the hollow barrel is within the range of five to six millimeters.
 5. The smoking ring of claim 1, wherein the materials of construction for the ring are selected from the group consisting of acrylic, glass, wood, steel, silver, sterling silver, and gold.
 6. The smoking ring of claim 2, wherein the materials of construction for the ring are selected from the group consisting of acrylic, glass, wood, steel, silver, sterling silver, and gold.
 7. The smoking ring of claim 3, wherein the materials of construction for the ring are selected from the group consisting of acrylic, glass, wood, steel, silver, sterling silver, and gold.
 8. The smoking ring of claim 4, wherein the materials of construction for the ring are selected from the group consisting of acrylic, glass, wood, steel, silver, sterling silver, and gold. 